Not Yet
by Miss Maudlin
Summary: Will may be cursed, but he and Elizabeth refuse to be parted so easily. Not yet, anyhow... [WE] AWE Spoilers!
1. The Beginning: Desperation

_**Not Yet**  
The Beginning: Desperation _

Elizabeth had never realized there was a taste to desperation.

But now—now, when she was finally Will's wife—she realized how desperation could tinge every aspect of the senses: she tasted it on his lips, felt it as he clutched her tightly, saw it in the way his eyes seemed to darken. And she let it take her over, lost herself in the moment, allowing the world to slip away just for a while before the inevitable arrived.

As Will's lips trailed down her throat, Elizabeth ran her fingers through the curls of his nape, memorizing the feel and knowing that she would be unable to touch him like this for so long... A low sob threatened to emit from her throat, but Will seemed to sense it by covering her mouth again. _Don't think about it just yet_, his kiss conveyed. _Not yet, not yet_…

Somehow Elizabeth ended up on the ground, Will's shirt spread underneath her. And the red, angry scar of where his heart had been taken was that much more apparent to her gaze. Tenderly, she traced its length, from his collarbone to high on his ribs. Will moaned softly at the touch, his breath puffing on her throat. Elizabeth, however, felt tears rise as she felt the lack of a heartbeat in his chest: where once it had thumped strongly, there was nothing.

"Oh, Will," she murmured, tracing the scar once again.

Will glanced up at the sound of her voice. Covering her hand with his, he whispered, "It's yours, it's always been yours." As he lifted her hand and began kissing her fingers, he murmured, "Even though you can't feel it beating, never believe that I don't love you as much as before."

And with that, he leaned down to kiss her.

Elizabeth forgot the world as she clutched him tightly, his lips firm on her own—on her cheeks, nose, chin, throat. Her heart sped as she felt him begin to unbuckle her belt and laughed as he struggled with the soaked leather. Finally, after fumbling with the unwieldy ornament, the belt was gone and her jacket was open, revealing the thin robe beneath. Elizabeth felt Will's gaze upon her, knowing that he stared at her barely concealed breasts. Blushing, she watched as he peeled the jacket from her, slowly, one arm at a time. As her golden skin was revealed, she blushed even hotter, but could not take her eyes from her husband.

With the jacket gone—and somehow, her breeches in the process— Elizabeth began to breathe faster, her chest rising and falling rapidly. After what seemed like hours, Will finally looked up from his perusal of her body and into her eyes; he smiled that heart-melting grin with which she had fallen in love so long ago.

He kissed her behind the ear. "Lovely," he murmured. "So…lovely…my Elizabeth…"

Clad only in her robe, Will began to untie the silken belt from her small waist. Elizabeth noticed a slight tremor in his hands as he worked at the knot, and the sight caused her heart to fill with an even greater love for him. Reverently, Will peeled the sides of the robe away from her body; and in the process, he seemed to be gasping for breath at the sight of his wife's body. And to no surprise, he seemed most absorbed with the sight of her naked breasts.

Elizabeth smiled. Will may have become the captain of the _Dutchman_, but he was still a man, still the shy blacksmith. Reaching up, she grabbed his face and kissed him hard.

From there, it was heated caresses, kisses in places both Elizabeth and Will had not yet imagined, and hot breaths on each other's skin. Whispered words of love and salty tears mixed with their passion for one another.

And when they finally came together, desperation tinged their union, but love held it together.

* * *

This is just a little beginning to what I hope will become an actual fic (yes, really!). After seeing AWE last weekend, I fell in love with Will and Elizabeth all over again and felt compelled to write something. And, also, I must add that I have a hard time believing that Liz would willingly just wait for Will for ten years - thus, the basis for what that fic will become. Let me know what you think! (: 

-Miss Maudlin (formerly Niamh)


	2. Departure

_**Not Yet**  
Departure_

Never had a sunset been so unwanted. And inexplicably, it seemed to be lowering faster than usual, its descent edging the ocean with an emerald glow.

William Turner found himself hating something that he had enjoyed watching many times before. But now, when the sunset meant more than the close of another day, he began to loathe the coming of night. To leave Elizabeth—_his wife_—for ten years, never to look upon her face, hold her closely, listen to her voice? It was, quite simply, an unbearable thought.

Gathering his wife close, Will buried his face in her hair, smelling both the sea and a scent he had dubbed simply "Elizabeth"; he couldn't define her scent, just like he could never define the feelings he held for her.

He felt her sigh against him, and in response, he kissed her lovely, swanlike neck. Although her surname was no longer Swann, (and the thought of her as Elizabeth Turner made him irrationally proud, he noted) Will had always thought her maiden name had been rather apt in describing her: physically beautiful yet devoted to those she loved.

"Will," Elizabeth murmured, disturbing the calm that had settled over them. "The sun has almost set…" Her voice trailed away.

Will glanced up, glaring at the sun drifting towards the ocean. "I should return to _The Dutchman_," he muttered dutifully. He made no move to stand, however.

Another moment of silence passed; then, untangling herself from his arms, Elizabeth stood and offered him her hand. She smiled sadly. "You have a duty to fulfill, Captain."

Will noted how her once pale hand had turned golden over the last few months, and calluses even covered her lady-like palm. The governor's daughter, now the Pirate King, Will mused as he took her hand.

And the blacksmith, now the usher of the dead, he added morosely.

Will took her hand and stood, facing the setting sun. It was time to begin his duty, time to leave Elizabeth… Looking down at his wife, at her brave attempt at a smile while her eyes glistened with tears she refused to shed, Will felt his chest ache—despite its hollowness. He may still be alive, but once he returned to that wretched ship, it would only be in the barest sense. Elizabeth was—and had always been—his _world, _his other half.

They started for the beach in silence, their fingers linked together. When they arrived at the shore, the only sound was the waves crashing against the sand, a few gulls cawing overhead. For a few moments the pair watched the sun set towards the horizon, its glow a warm, brilliant orange.

Will's gaze, however, eventually strayed to the chest sitting upon the rock in front of them, its contents worth more than silver or gold. Although it safeguarded his heart, Will felt only disgust for the object; it served to symbolize the curse that would part him from Elizabeth for ten long years. Stepping towards it, he hefted the weight in his hands before turning back to his wife.

"Will you keep it safe?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

Coming to him, Elizabeth replied, "Yes." Her voice seemed to catch in her throat. "Yes," she added rather desperately.

Will allowed Elizabeth to take the chest from him; guilt clawed at him, knowing of the burden he was making her bear. "It's always belonged to you," he murmured. _My heart has always been yours._

Leaning towards her, he allowed himself one last moment of weakness; touching his forehead to hers, Will closed his eyes and focused on this last touch, this last sound of her breathing. When the chest in between them brushed against him slightly, though, he tore away from her. His duty—his curse—would not be forgotten.

As Will walked away from his wife to the ship that awaited his arrival, Elizabeth cried his name. Suddenly she was in his arms again, and when she threw her arms around his neck, he kissed her with all that he had to give. _Elizabeth, Elizabeth_…he murmured against her lips. It was a kiss that trembled between them, that realized the long, lonely years ahead. So soon wed, so soon torn apart by a touch of destiny—despair and bitterness tinged their kiss and, like before, too soon ended.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon," Will murmured.

And then he was gone.

* * *

_Long Author's Note of DOOM: _I promise the next chapters will be longer. But angst just works so well when it's short and sweet (or so I tell myself).

Anyway, sorry for the delay—I have actually been rather busy for the last couple of weeks (don't act so surprised). And, yes, I changed my pen name because I love confusing people.

Let me know what you think, as always.

-Miss Maudlin

**PS**: If you didn't already know, swans happen to mate for life. :)


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